Improvement is desired in the fitting of so-called “boil and bite” dental guards to the teeth of a user. These dental guards are made out of thermoformable materials, such as thermoplastics. Typically, a user heats water to boiling and immerses the guard in the water until the plastic becomes pliable (e.g. 30 seconds). The user then places the guard in this pliable state in his mouth and applies biting pressure to conform the guard to the teeth. The guard is then cooled to retain the bite pattern in the material.
Boil and bite guards are popular because they offer some customization of the guard to the user and are relatively inexpensive. Boil and bite dental guards are commonly configured for various dental guard needs, including sports mouthguards and as nightguards for use in inhibiting nighttime grinding of teeth (Bruxism) while a user sleeps.
Boil and bite dental guards have various shortcomings. Traditional boil and bite dental guards, being made of a moldable material, are fitted by placing the guard in heated or boiling water to make the guard malleable, removing the guard from the water and aligning the guard with the upper teeth. The user then bites down on the guard to form an impression in the moldable material. The user then continues to fit the dental guard by pushing the guard material with the finger tips and tongue to form an impression against the buccal and lingual walls. The use of the fingers and tongue to form the guard causes an uneven distribution of pressure against the buccal and lingual walls and thus an uneven distribution of material. As the material cools, it begins to set. As the material cools it becomes less pliable and resistant to forming an impression with the buccal and lingual walls. As a result, often during this customization step, portions of the material can undesirably spread, distort, or otherwise deform in response to the application of bite pressure and pressure applied the user's fingers and tongue. Various portions of the formed guard can become too thin or too thick, and portions can become positioned so as to be uncomfortable to the user.
What is needed is improvement in the fitting of boil and bite dental guards so that undesirable deformations of the guard are avoided during the fitting of the guard to the user.